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Agra is located in the north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. This city is an indispensable tourist destination. With three sites being designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Sites, the city is mainly famous for the majestic Taj Mahal. The other places of interest in this city are: Agra Fort; Fatehpur Sikri, Akbar's Tomb, Mariam's Tomb, Jama Masjid and Chini Ka Rauza. The greatest monument of love, Taj Mahal was built by the order of the Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his loving wife Mumtaz Mahal. The grand structure is actually a mausoleum built entirely by white marble stones. Commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan; thousands of craftsmen under Isa Khan worked through day and night to build such a grand architecture. Starting in 1632, the construction of Taj Mahal took almost 16 years and when this famous love mausoleum was finally completed in 1648; the beauty of Taj impressed even the emperor himself. Considered as one of the finest examples of Mughal architecture, Taj imbibes both Persian and Indian elements. At the front of this grandiose structure is a beautifully decorated lush green garden and river Yamuna flows at the back. Open from 6 am to 7:30 pm, Taj Mahal looks breathtakingly beautiful on full moon. The silky moonlight bounces back from the milky white marble exterior to give Taj an awe inspiring beauty. Agra Fort is another major tourist attraction in Agra. The construction of this fort was started by the noted Mughal Emperor Akbar in 1565 and this red sandstone fort was completed during Shah Jahan's time. The specialty of Agra Fort is that, on a clear day, you could see majestic Taj Mahal from the spacious windows. Ironically though Shah Jahan ended up being a prisoner in this fort and before he died here, the windows here were the only outlet for him to see the burial dome of his beloved wife. Other Agra tourist attractions are located outside the city. Akbar's Tomb, for example, is located 10 kilometers north of Agra. There are four red stone gates that lead to this tomb. Other places of interest like Fatehpur Sikri; Mariam's Tomb and others too pull a lot of crowd.
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